Breaking: Boston police arrest more suspects in Marathon bombing case

Boston police announced via Twitter Wednesday morning that they have arrested three more people in connection with the April 15 bombing attack at the Boston Marathon.

Police arrested 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsnarnaev on April 19 in Watertown, Massachusetts, following a weeklong manhunt for Tsnarnaev and his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan. The elder Tsnarnaev died during a shoot-out with authorities on April 18.

Dzhokhar Tsnarnaev was moved from a local hospital to a prison medical facility on April 26.

This story will be updated.

Update, 11:29 a.m. EST: Citing police sources, the Boston Globe reported that the three people were college students arrested by federal authorities. Yahoo News also reported that a police spokesperson referred questions on the case to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, which did not comment.

Update, 11:43 a.m.: Police said in a statement that there is no threat to the public. Also, NBC News reported that the three are suspected of taking items out of the dorm room belonging to Dzokhar Tsarnaev.

Update, 12:09 p.m.: NBC News reported that the three suspects are “college roommates or suitemates” of Dzokhar Tsarnaev and have been under surveillance by the FBI for 10 days.

Update, 12:34 p.m.: NBC News reported that the three suspects, all friends of Dzokhar Tsarnaev’s, face obstruction of justice charges. Two of them were arrested on April 20 on immigration-related charges. WHDH-TV reported that the third suspect is a U.S. citizen.

Update, 12:45 p.m.:WCVB-TV and the Globe identified two of the suspects as Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, two natives of Kazakhstan who appeared in court for student visa violations on Wednesday. Their attorney confirmed that they now face separate federal charges.

Update, 2:06 p.m.:The Globe reported that the three suspects will appear in federal court at 3:30 p.m.

Update, 2:41 p.m.: The Huffington Post has posted the complaint (PDF) against Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov, in which the two men are accused of “knowingly destroying and concealing” a backpack with fireworks inside and a laptop in order to obstruct the investigation into the Marathon bombing. They have been charged with conspiring to obstruct justice. NBC News reported that the third man, Robel Philipos, was charged with making false statements to authorities.

About the Author

Arturo R. García is the managing editor at Racialicious.com. He is based in San Diego, California and has written for both print and broadcast media, including contributions to GlobalComment.com, The Root and Comment Is Free. Follow him on Twitter at @ABoyNamedArt